Vol 8, Issue 2/2002

The Diversity of Ideologies of Movement

On the sense and nonsense of making Taijiquan into a sport. By Klaus Moegling

The tendency to bring Taijiquan into line with competitive sport and the fitness culture shows how it is being absorbed by developments in modern society. Klaus Moegling analyzes the current tendency to make Taijiquan into a sport, a tendency that, on the one hand, creates new possibilities such as a greater presence through media coverage, while however detracting from and even destroying traditional meanings important for a post-modern development on the other. He sees the competitive frame of mind as being counterproductive to the philosophical roots of Taijiquan's concerns. Klaus Moegling makes a plea for a multi-dimensional view that allows movement meditation and a gentle, health-oriented fitness sport to coexist in Taijiquan. He views with scepticism the incorporation of Taijiquan into a system of high performance competition.

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